Australia

Magnitude 6.0 quake strikes Victoria, Australia

September 22, 2021 3:34 pm

Melbourne has just been rocked by an earthquake, with residents reporting strong shudders, offices being evacuated and tremors being felt as far away as Sydney, Canberra and Tasmania.

VicSES says a magnitude 6.0 earthquake – that was 10km deep – has occurred with an epicentre near Mansfield in Victoria.

Mansfield is a small town in the foothills of the Victorian Alps.

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It is approximately 180km north-east of Melbourne by road.

“Widespread felt reports. If you have building damage or require SES assistance, phone 132500 and please be patient as lines may be busy,” it said. “There is no tsunami threat.”

A second quake, understood to be an aftershock and registering a magnitude of 4.0, has taken place in the same location.

According to Geoscience Australia the first quake was at 9:15am local time, and the second one, magnitude-4.0, was at 9.33am.

Residents from as far away as Dubbo in NSW have reported tremors from the quake.

It was felt 190km away in Melbourne as well as in regional Victoria, Sydney, regional New South Wales, the ACT, Adelaide and Launceston in Tasmania.

Melbourne’s Seismology Centre says the earthquake lasted about 20 seconds.